


An Empath's Journey to Healing

by orphan_account



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Also Edaline is Keefe's mom, Hurt/Comfort, I Just love Keefe Okay, Lady Gisela who???, Minor Legacy Spoilers, and Legacy HURT me, slight canon diverge, so this is my coping mechanism, yeah you heard me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23090314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “You’re always welcome to stay with us Keefe.”A laugh escaped Keefe’s lips. It may not have been as bright as it had when she first met him, but this time it was neither forced nor accompanied by the sad smile she had grown accustomed to. Instead, the corners of the blond elf’s lips turned up, as a familiar glint shone in his ice-blue eyes.“I may just take you up on that.”Edaline returned Keefe’s smile with one of her own. “Just know you’re not alone.”Just a one-shot of Keefe getting some love from characters that I wish he would interact with more.
Relationships: Keefe Sencen & Edaline Ruewen
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	An Empath's Journey to Healing

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome one and all to my first official work! I've been reading Keeper for a little over five years now, and well, like I said in the tags, here's my coping mechanism for the series lolll.
> 
> I’m gonna change up some of the timelines of the story a bit for this so I can squeeze in this Edaline and Keefe interaction loll. Anyways, I always felt like Edaline cared a lot about Keefe, so of course I had to do her and Keefe bonding time first. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!

Edaline thought she knew grief.

She had lost her first daughter and could do nothing but helplessly watch as her second risked her life to get out of hopeless situations. However, none of that compared to the grief she felt towards Keefe.

It was no surprise that Lord Cassius was a terrible elf and an even worse father; nor was it much of a stretch to say Lady Gisela was far too cold and indifferent towards her family. Yet it still shocks Edaline that they treated Keefe, their own son, as poorly as they did. Keefe was a great kid. He was smart, charming, albeit his own quirky way, but most of all he was determined to do right by those he held in high regard. And that was something Edaline knew both his parents overlooked.

It didn’t matter what life threw at Keefe Sencen; he’d always bounce right back. But a person could only take so much before they start to break. And Keefe had been through a lot, more than anyone has any right to going through.

All Edaline could remember from the previous night was the defeated look in Keefe’s ice blue eye before he fell asleep by Calla’s Panakes tree. Sophie tried her best to explain what had happened in London to her and the rest of the council, but Edaline knew she left out certain details. Once all was said and done, Edaline didn’t have it in her to make Keefe go home. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with his father.

Upon Sophie’s suggestion, Edaline quickly agreed to let Keefe sleep the night, and brought over a pillow for him to sleep on. What surprised her the most about the whole ordeal was how compliant Grady was during the whole exchange. Edaline expected him to put up some sort of protest towards Keefe sleeping over, (and so close to Sophie at that!). But Grady simply looked him over, his bright blue eyes filled with sympathy, and told Edaline, “No one deserves this. Not even Keefe.”

Later that night, Edaline was making her rounds to check up on the magical creatures in the sanctuary before going to bed, when she spotted a familiar blonde elf sitting on the grass, looking towards the gates of Havenfield.

Edaline spoke in a soft voice as to not startle the boy, “Keefe?”

Turning around slowly, Keefe’s eyes widened as he locked eyes with the resident of Havenfield, “I’m sorry, I just needed time alone… to think.”

Edaline sat down beside the boy as she gazed across the night sky.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for; anyone would need some time given what you’ve gone through.”

A wistful expression came over Keefe’s face as his mind worked through Edaline’s words. While Keefe knew the older elf meant well, there was something about her words that didn’t sit well with him. Were these words of hers out of pity? Did she feel some sort of obligation to look after him since he was a guest? There was no way she was willingly comforting him after all he’s done… right?

Almost as if sensing Keefe’s thoughts, Edaline spoke up in a soft but assured voice, “it's okay to feel as if nothing is going right Keefe; that’s why you have your friends and even Ro. They support you unconditionally, not because of any obligation. They are what gives life meaning— finding a way to make things right together.”

Keefe remained silent as he processed Edaline’s words. A way to make things right. Isn’t that what he wanted? Fixing his mistakes—and by extension those of his family? But weren’t the reason people were helping him just an excuse so they could keep an eye on him? So that they could stop him before he ended up like his mother?

When Keefe next spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, almost as if he was afraid to ask... or rather too afraid of the answer. “I don’t want to turn into her…”

Even though the boy gave no name, Edaline knew exactly who he was referring too. A gentle smile graced her lips as she spoke delicately, “now that I can guarantee won’t happen.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Keefe’s breathing still.

In a firmer voice, Edaline continued. “your mom doesn’t get to define who you are, or what you will become, the same way your father tried and failed to change you to fit into his mold. The only thing you and your mother have in common is your perseverance—she uses it for much more nefarious purposes, but you use it to fix problems and shoulder burdens that never should have been yours to begin with.”

There was a soft silence between the two elves, however when Keefe didn’t say anything for a while Edaline was quick to apologize, “Oh dear, I’m sorry if I overstepped—”

Keefe shook his head, “No, I think you’re right. I, uh—I guess I’m just not too used to others doing something for me without expecting something out of it.”

And that broke Edaline’s heart in two.

Keefe didn’t deserve his overbearing father, nor his cruel and distant mother. He deserved someone who saw his worth for what it was—something to be treasured. No matter what he accomplished, his mother would simply brush him off while his father would go off about how useless he was. Its things like this that make it so when Keefe does something reckless, Edaline isn’t surprised.

After all, if you live your whole life being told you were useless, you not only start to believe it but also stop seeing your life as a life.

Holding the blonde’s hands in her own, Edaline made sure Keefe looked her right in the eyes as she spoke tenderly, “things aren’t always going to stay bad. Soon all this Neverseen business will end.”

Keefe nodded his head in understanding, but Edaline had a hunch he didn’t believe her, so she prompted him to express his thoughts, “there's something else though, isn’t there?”

His reply was simple, “I guess I just want answers… well, that and closure.”

And that was understandable. Keefe took a deep breath as if to gather his thoughts. Edaline patiently waited for him to continue. When Keefe spoke up again, his voice wavered slightly, and tears began to form in his ice-blue eyes.

“It's just… My mom’s been going on and on about this grand legacy of mine, and she made me do so many things, the bulk of which I can’t even remember. There's just so much that I don’t know… and we were so close to answers today. We had her—right in our grasps. But like always she slipped away before I could get any. I just wish—”

Before Keefe was able to finish his sentence, he found himself engulfed in a warm pair of arms. At first, Keefe seemed stunned by the sudden act of affection, however, soon enough Keefe wrapped his own arms around Edaline. His grip tight, but not tight enough that if she wanted to break off the hug, she would be able to. Edaline made a side note of the lack of affection Keefe was used to and made a promise to herself to get him more used to such acts of love and care.

The two stayed like that for a while. Enjoying the warmth of each other’s presence. Edaline couldn’t do much for Keefe—or any of Sophie’s friends for that matter—but she could offer them comfort and guidance when she saw they needed them.

The two broke off the hug as they talked about life. It was a nice change of pace from their previous conversation and gave Edaline a lot more insight into Keefe’s thinking process than she thought it would have. Keefe was a great kid with unlimited potential; that’s something a lot of adults in his life seem to forget.

Keefe has a lot of potential.

That means he still has room to grow before he reaches it, and yet everyone just places more and more expectations on him. Its no wonder he resorts to jokes and pranks. How else is he to express himself when all he is given the chance to do is live up to his potential? If Keefe’s parents can’t take care of him, Edaline is more than willing to step up and be a parental figure Keefe can look up to.

“I’m glad we had this talk, Keefe.”

“Yeah, me too. “ Rubbing his drowsy eyes, Keefe stood up and announced, “I think I’ll go back to sleep now.”

Edaline gave him a soft smile as she nodded and walked him back to the Panakes tree. She turned to leave but stopped when Keefe quietly called out to her.

“Thanks for hearing me out.”

“Any time Keefe; just remember people love and care about you far more than you think they do.”

And with that, Edaline bid Keefe good night, before heading off to bed herself.

By the time morning came around, Edaline went down to wake Keefe up for some breakfast. However, before she could utter a word she was stopped by Grady who had just finished feeding Wynn and Luna. “Just give him this,” Grady whispered softly while glancing down at Keefe’s sleeping figure. “He needs rest after the emotional turmoil he went through last night.”

“That’s quite the contrasting statement from the ones you usually make.” Edaline dropped the pitch of her voice as she glared mockingly at the elf in front of her, “That Boy! I swear when I get my hands on him…”

A smile graced Edaline’s face as she listened to Grady try and justify his changing attitude towards Keefe.

Edaline never truly understood her husband’s dissatisfaction with the young elf. There is no doubt that Keefe has made bad decisions in the past and hurt Sophie in ways that no one else is able to, but Edaline didn’t hold it against him; she knew everything Keefe did, it was for Sophie.

So, when Keefe returned from his time acting as a double agent in Neverseen, and Grady had started to refer to Keefe as “That Boy,” Edaline was amused at the absurdity. She felt as if it had less to do with what Keefe did and rather due to how close (read: Intimate) he was with Sophie. And Grady, being the overprotective father, he is and all, felt the need to step in and create some sort of barrier between them.

Ah, young love; but that was neither here nor there.

Getting back to her work, Edaline decided to check up on Keefe later in the day.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Keefe was woken up (the only question was whether it was due to the alicorn babies or if it was by himself). Edaline let Sophie know so that she would be able to check on him. Sophie quickly brought him inside for some lunch before the two decided to visit Lord Cassias to try and get more information from their run-in with Lady Gisela.

Giving Sophie a quick hug, Edaline turned towards Keefe.

“You’re always welcome to stay with us Keefe.”

A laugh escaped Keefe’s lips. It may not have been as bright as it had when she first met him, but this time it was neither forced nor accompanied by the sad smile she had grown accustomed to. Instead, the corners of the blond elf’s lips turned up, as a familiar glint shone in his ice-blue eyes.

“I may just take you up on that.”

Edaline returned Keefe’s smile with one of her own. “Just know you’re not alone.”

Keefe nodded, clarity returning to his eyes as he gave a small salute, “I’ll do my best to remember that.”

Edaline watched as Sophie and Keefe approached a cliff to teleport from, faintly hearing their conversation.

“Since when did you and my mom get so close.”

“You have you’re secrets Mysterious Miss F, I have mine. Now let’s go pay my no-good dad a visit!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading till the end! Next up, I might do Dex and Keefe or the Song Twins, I don't know yet. After that it's between Frockle and Ro, so stay tuned!


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